The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) has issued shut down orders to about 3000 pharmacy stores for violating the Over the Counter (OTC) rules.

According to director of DCA Akun Sabharwal, many of the chemists and drugs stores are selling the medicines without prescription. “In the year 2015 we have issued notices to 3000 pharmacists for violating the OTC rules and ordered them to shut down their shops. We have also warned the chemists not to sell ‘Scheduled H1’ drugs without prescription. If found violating the rules we shall not hesitate to take stern actions against the pharmacists,” informed the director.

During the year 2015, the DCA conducted inspections of over 18,000 pharmacy stores, of which 3000 shops were found violating the rules and selling drugs without prescription. Taking stern action against the violators, the DCA has suspended licenses of 642 shops for selling Schedule H1 drugs without prescription.

At present, the Telangana state has 29,000 licensed drugs stores and about 475 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the state. The DCA in the state is striving to bring order among the drug traders and ensure that safe and quality drugs reach to the patients.

“Our mission is to bring order in trade of drugs and our aim is to ensure dispensing of safe and quality drugs to patients. The chemists must properly check the prescriptions before dispensing the drugs and should issue proper bills accordingly,” said the director.

Apart from ensuring quality and safety in dispensing, the DCA is also embarking on setting up of generic stores in the entire district in the state. To begin with DCA is planning to set up generic shops in Warangal district.

Commemorating the Medaram Jatara (a Mega fair) in Warangal, the DCA along with the district administration is also planning to hold free medical camps where thousands of people are expected to get treatment free of cost during the fair. Not just medical camps, the DCA has also embarked on inspecting the blood banks and their functioning in all the 10 districts. About 109 blood banks were raided during 2015 and the authorities have suspended 67 blood banks, 4 banks were asked to stop production and license of one bank was cancelled for violating the blood safety norms.

Taking a stern action against the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, the DCA has conducted raids on 55 companies and have taken action against 40 companies and suspended their licenses for violating the quality norms.